The present application relates generally to personal floatation devices and, more particularly, to personal floatation devices that are manually propelled in a body of water.
It is well known that personal floatation devices, such as air-encapsulating inner tubes and the like, can be propelled by a user with simple hand and/or foot movement. It is also well known that such movement can be maximized and enhanced with the utilization of fin-like structures, typically coupled to a user's foot, to maximize water resistance to cause the floatation device to travel in the desired direction. However, a limitation of such a design is that hand and leg movement are not synchronized and thus can be counterproductive. Further, when returning the fin-like structure to the origination point to begin another cycle, the fin-like structure generally increases water resistance in the return stroke, consequently degrading and hindering travel in the desired direction.
It is also well known that simultaneous and synchronous hand and foot movement can be achieved via a ski-like machine on land, wherein an interconnecting structure, such as an elongated rod, is used to coordinate hand and leg movement. However, such a structure is not readily adaptable for water usage, let alone buoyancy. As such, there exists a need in personal floatation devices to incorporate the benefits of simultaneous and synchronous movement of the hands and legs.